Toughest pool ever for England says Johnson

However, it is understood that World Cup organisers, in co-ordination with the Home Office, the police and security advisers, believe there is no need to increase the resources normally in place for global matches.

“I’d like to think my versatility helps but it’s all down to the coaches”. “I think Courtney can be stratospheric”.

First up is England vs Wales, a game with not only intense neighbourly bragging rights on the line, but also a game which will have a huge say on the knockout stages. With Samoa, Japan, Scotland and the USA in their World Cup pool, South Africa will be at short odds to finish their group on top.

Having celebrated their first away win of the Championship last weekend against the Boks in Durban, Argentina will be full of belief heading into the World Cup, where they are likely to face either France or Ireland in a quarter-final.

And he was acutely aware of the collateral damage and injuries Fiji inflicted on the Red Rose with their bone-jarring tackling telling a few days later when a shattered England bowed out of the tournament with a hefty 44-21 defeat against a fresher South Africa, who had bypassed a play-off by topping their group and had extra rest, in Paris.

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Not wanting to dwell too much on the toughest of times, Back is keen to reflect on two particular moments in a career that saw him become one of the most decorated players in England and Leicester Tigers history. “My nerves are pretty good – I get nervous but I find in league games that sometimes they make you want it more and make you play better”.

“He landed on his rear end… got a knock on the buttock and that’s tightened up so we’ll have to see how he goes”, said coach Steve Hansen, whose team will be boosted by the return of Ma’a Nonu.

Given this, former captain Johnson has predicted that at least one of the big names will be disappointed and have to leave the tournament early after failing to get out of the “toughest pool there has ever been in a World Cup”.

England’s World Cup warm-up game against France at Twickenham on Saturday will be the first worldwide to use Hawk-Eye, World Rugby has confirmed.

Johnson, an ambassador for tournament sponsors Mastercard, added: “But in a way it won’t do England any harm at all”.

Fiji will be coming to this World Cup with the intention of causing an upset and this is not wishful thinking. I expect them to get to the final.

“Australia can be utterly lethal when it comes to scoring tries out of situations where there’s nothing on, more so any other team in the world”, he said.

“We have also offered them up to five tickets per match at Twickenham to thank them for their support”. Their performance in the 2011 final at Eden Park – when they united after a pool-match drubbing by the All Blacks and the usual off-field drama to nearly emerge victorious – was probably their high-tide mark over the past four years.

But Johnson – who won the World Cup alongside Dawson in 2003 – is adamant Lancaster’s test will pay off sooner rather than later for England as a whole.